Table of Contents

Introduction : Why Energy Independence Matters More Than Iraq 1

PART ONE: The Problem of America's Energy Dependence 11

Chapter 1: America's Plunge into Reliance on Foreign Oil 13

Chapter 2: A Forgotten Victory Gives Hope: How America Solved Its Last Energy Crisis and Cut Oil Imports in Half 41

Chapter 3: Lapsing Back into Oil Addiction: Retreating from Battle under Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush 71

Chapter 4: Blood and Treasure: The Heavy Cost of Dependence on Middle East Oil 89

Chapter 5: Fossil Fuels and Global Warming: A Dangerous Experiment with the Planet 103

Chapter 6: The Magic and Limits of Market-Based Solutions 121

Chapter 7: Seeing through the Ideological Blinders (of the Right and the Left) 133

PART TWO: Seven Economically and Politically Viable Paths to Energy Independence 143

Chapter 8: Solution One: Store Massive Emergency Reserves 145

Chapter 9: Solution Two: Drive the Car of the Future 157

Chapter 10: Solution Three: Bring Alternative Fuels to Market 173

Chapter 11: Solution Four: Plug into an Electric Future 181

Chapter 12: Solution Five: Adopt Energy Taxes Liberals and Conservatives Can Like 191

Chapter 13: Solution Six: Make Energy Conservation a Patriotic Duty 203

Chapter 14: Solution Seven: Throw Some "Hail Marys" 213

PART THREE: Securing Our National Future 221

Chapter 15: What We Need from National Leaders (and from Voters) 223

Acknowledgments 231

Notes 233

Index 243

About the Author

Jay Hakes was head of the Energy Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy from 1993 to 2000, where he oversaw the collec-tion and dissemination of America's official energy data and analysis. He has given testimony before congressional committees on more than twenty-five occasions and is currently head of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta.

Reviews

"Hakes's insights into the politics of energy make the bookespecially relevant this voting season, and it would be a goodaddition..." ("Library Journal," September 2008)

"Evenhanded and insightful history...a compelling tutorialfor anyone seeking to understand the geopolitical forces that haveAmerica over a barrel of oil." ("AtlantaJournal-Constitution," August 10, 2008)..".an outpost of sanity in the mostly absurd babble surroundingthe 'energy crisis'" ("E & P," September, 2008)

"Hakes's insights into the politics of energy make the book especially relevant this voting season, and it would be a good addition..." ("Library Journal", September 2008)

"Evenhanded and insightful history...a compelling tutorial for anyone seeking to understand the geopolitical forces that have America over a barrel of oil." ("Atlanta Journal-Constitution", August 10, 2008) ."..an outpost of sanity in the mostly absurd babble surrounding the 'energy crisis'" ("E & P", September, 2008)

"Evenhanded and insightful history...a compelling tutorial for anyone seeking to understand the geopolitical forces that have America over a barrel of oil." ("Atlanta Journal-Constitution," August 10, 2008)

.,."an outpost of sanity in the mostly absurd babble surrounding the 'energy crisis'" ("E & P," September, 2008)